! ! ! ! 2009 DII Cross Country ! ! ! !

When did you run there? Nationals in 96 or the earlier race? It can be a tough course. Especially the double-loop 10K. Nice hill both times.

hahaha that was a gay post by someone from western 'the big red machine rolls in november' hahaha

I was at the RMAC's yesterday. Adams men looked great, the women don't seem to be as strong this year. Western men look very strong, as well. Impressed with the Metro State men, as they've been written off this year and they almost beat #5 ranked Mines. They could be a top ten team. The new coach hasn't missed a beat.

I've got to say this was the best RMAC in a very long time and I'll give double props to the Metro State crew for giving this meet the attention it deserves. The course was awesome, the park was beautiful and there was a great crowd on hand. I wish they had it in Denver every year. It was a lot of fun and there were smiles all around.

This is what I saw.....

Adams?...... Starting to crumble. Really, be honest. That was not an NCAA title performance. There are four teams who can take that team out. Martin better go to the basement and crunch numbers. He can only run 7 at NCAA and his choice this week was sub par. Gotta question his judgement.

Western?... Looks like they are coming. Not too good now, but it always seems NCAAs waters down Adams (although they still win) and Western looks the best they have all year.

But, my friends, look east. Look east (and maybe west) I think that is where the new NCAA champs are. Chico can be real good, some eastern teams too (GValley, Queens, Lowell and even host South Indiana and maybe MSouth) could put five face cards up before the Grizzlies.

All I'm saying is the bread is not in the oven yet.

Should be fun.

Have you been living in a box? Western and Adams are the cream of the crop. They will most likely not be challenged by anyone else. I hope that you realize that the first five finishers at the RMAC meet have run sub 14 for 5k. Ruben has been fourth at cross nationals and won a steeplechase title. Arron has been runner up twice in cross and won multiple 1500m titles along with a copious amounts of All American honors on the track. Brian has finish sixth at cross, along with another top 10 finish, and was runner up and third place last spring in the 10k and 5k respectively. Tyler has finished 14th in cross, and was Westerns third man last fall; he was runner up in the 5k last spring. Iain has finished fifth in cross and quite a few All American honors on the track to boast. Remember that these are just the top five, and the depth just keeps going.

You say that it was not a title performance, but it has often been the case that either Western or Adams has won Conference just to lose nationals to the other. Look at 2003 and 2005 (those are the only ones that I can remember off the top of my head). So I would say that with ACU down this year they only title challenge could come from Western.

Now those are just the top five for the RMAC. I know that you are talking about how Adams is starting to crumble and there is going to be a new champion, but I would like to see some if some of the accolades of other conferences compare to the boys of the RMAC. Neither of these teams are crumbling, but are getting ready to roll in a few weeks. You have made a point about "the bread is not in the oven yet" and anything can happen at nationals, but history is on the side of Adams and Western.

The poster who thinks the National title doesn't go to Adams this year is just crazy. Adams run a sub 14 min 5k runner in the open race at RMAC's because he didn't make their top 9. That team is unbeatable in DII, and Western is hands down #2.

D2 conference results are in as we "crank up the heat" at http://d2cross.blogspot.com/

Bump

Montana State is lookin fit!!!

all that snow running is really paying off

Granted Mines has had a lot of top 10 performances, but the school is catching up with them. Every year they have been top 10, its been an underachieving performance. When they were 7th in 06 Joel Hamilton and Larry McDaris had races. In 07 Clifton Oerlti and Sean Cusick choked. In 08, the whole team just didn't perform as well as they should have. In 06 and 07 no one had a particular good race, just about run of the mill. I don't think its coaching here, Art Siemers is a fine coach. One needs to look no further than Tera Moody to figure that much out, but when you operate with 5 +/- hours of sleep a night your body simply can't rest and recover the way it should. You can get away with this for a while, but eventually, like at Nats, your body isn't ready to really let it rip. Mines has always come into conference rated higher than where they finished at nationals. Credit Siemers for doing as good of job as he has done with those guys, but he is up against a insurmountable mountain.

CSM wrote:

RMAC wrote:

Western State has never finished worse than 2nd in the RMAC. Mines is delusional if they believe that they someehow were once better. This is the BEST they have ever run. Both men and women once again proved how strong the Western tradition is. The frost is on the pumkin and as the weather turns colder Western State starts cranking up the heat. The big red machine rolls in November.

Mines is starting to build a decent tradition of top 10 national performances along with arguably one of the top educations in America. I doubt many of them our wasting their time posting on here as they have to study to graduate.

odd post about mines. you either went their or are good friends with someone who does, but your information is just wrong. It has not been an underachieving program, the recruits in the past were terrible in high school (except joel) compared to the other d2 schools, but this has changed a couple years ago, which is why they have their best team ever. and racing conference at altitude against adams and western when they come down in altitude is impossible, ask anyone else in the rmac.

for the rmac team racing adams and western at conference at altitude, ignore their performances. Mines and Metro both will be very strong at nationals at sea level, im picking metro top 10, and mines top 5

What's the take on the West Region meet? Who wins? How close? What teams advance? Womens teams look good too.

1. Chico

2. Western Washington

3. Cal Poly Pomona, Alaska, or Western Oregon.

how could Alaska not make it to nationals?

Their team hasn't been running that strong with the 4th and 5th runners

finquata wrote:

how could Alaska not make it to nationals?

Well, when you're 4/5th are maybe 26:30 guys on a fast day, having 3 at the top doesn't exactly buy you a ticket to Nats. Chico is a lock, WWU has too much depth, and Cal Poly has a 1-2 up front with a stronger 4-5 than UAA. Even Western Oregon could take them down with their tight spread. UAA's variety of talent from last year has evaporated down to 3 Kenyans...

Let's talk about the women's individuals?

Who's in the running?

2009 Outdoor Performance Lists:

1500m

1 Jessica Pixler So Seattle Pacific 4:17.68

5 Neely Spence Fr Shippensburg 4:24.59

7 Monica Kinney Fr Grand Valley St 4:27.53

8 Jane Larson Jr Seattle Pacific 4:28.12

9 Brianna Schofield So UC San Diego 4:29.67

10 Mary Ballinger Jr So Indiana 4:29.83

5000m

3 Neely Spence Fr Shippensburg 16:38.81

4 Vivien Wadeck Jr Cal St LA 16:39.75

6 Sarah Porter So Western Wash 16:50.87

7 Jennifer Harpp Jr Slippery Rock 16:51.65

8 Tanya Zeferjahn Fr Queens 16:54.29

9 Christina Muir So Ferris State 16:55.22

10 Hannah Steffan Jr Dallas Baptist 16:56.50

10000m

5 Sarah Porter So Western Wash 34:58.37

6 Jennifer Harpp Jr Slippery Rock 35:21.65

7 Janae Larson So Seattle Pacific 35:25.72

8 Vivien Wadeck Jr Cal St LA 35:28.94

9 Tina Yi So Edinboro 35:32.30

10 Kylen Cieslak Jr Northwood 35:36.08

3000m Steeplechase

1 Mary Ballinger Jr So Indiana 10:26.73

3 Megan Rolland Jr Humboldt State 10:42.03

5 Laura Mucho Jr Dallas Baptist 10:45.22

6 Molly Clark Jr Augustana 10:46.16

7 Janette Cary Jr Adams State 10:46.43

8 Katy Grant Jr Harding 10:47.52

9 Esther Komen Jr Harding 10:48.07

10 Rebecca Winchester So Grand Valley St 10:48.97

optional wrote:

Let's talk about the women's individuals?

Who's in the running?

Pixler (dominant) and Spence (impressive and improving). That's it in my mind.

Mary Ballinger (Southern Indiana), Sarah Porter (WWU), Tina Yi (Edinboro), Tina Muir (Ferris St), Megan Maceratini (GV), Kimi Shank (Mo Southern) are all solid top 5 possibilities.